nuclear-news

Is the tide turning against nuclear power?

Nuclear power licensing requests flood federal offices McClatchy By Judy Pasternak | Investigative Reporting Workshop 24 Jan 2010
“………..But is the tide turning again? David Matthews, who oversees safety reviews, got an unexpected call last February. A vice president of Exelon, the Illinois utility, told Matthews to put his company’s application for a new project in Victoria County, Texas, on ice.

The company had changed its mind about which reactor design it wanted to use. The turmoil in financial markets and its failure to win loan guarantees, at least in the first round, also prompted the company to slow down the licensing process.

Three more projects have been suspended: Entergy’s Grand Gulf Unit 3 in Port Gibson, Miss., and River Bend Unit 3 in St. Francisville, La., and AmerenUE’s Callaway Unit 2 near Fulton, Mo. A request arrived in June for two new reactors at Florida Power & Light Co.’s Turkey Point complex south of Miami.

The total number of license applications under active review dipped, however, from 17 in 2008 to 13 currently.Even the most recent application has hit some bumps. On Jan. 13, Florida regulators slashed Florida Power & Light’s request for a record $1.27 billion rate hike, granting one for only $75.5 million. The utility is continuing to seek an NRC license, but it’s halting work on design, engineering and supplier contracts for the proposed new reactors.

January 25, 2010 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | business and costs, USA | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear secrecy, nuclear wastes